Bloodlines
by SandXDemonX13
Summary: Sasuke finds himself caught up in the most horrible of situations. A crazed murderer is after him, wanting something that only he alone can give the man. And the only thing Sasuke can do is reach out for his brother and hope to be saved. Ita/Sasu, Mpreg
1. Prologue

Okay, hello everyone. I want to keep this quick. This is the completely rewritten version of _Bleeding for you_. It has the same exact story line with a few minor changes, one being that there is now this prologue, and another being the ages have been uped a bit. Anyway, welcome to the first installment in the _Uchiha-Mitsuki Trilogy_. I understand that this is a very short beginning, but I will have the actual first chapter up by the end of the day hopefully.

Rating: M for violence, incest and things of the like.

Pairings: Itachi/Sasuke, Tatsu/Fugaku, Hiroko/Sasuke and probably some random other ones somewhere along the lines. (These are just the main pairings for the entire story.)

Warnings: This is **INCEST** just as _Bleeding for you_ was, so if you don't like **brothers kissing** and other such things then I suggest you **go away now** because I will not tolerate people telling me that I'm disgusting for writing this. Other warnings for the story overall are, Mpreg, violence, language, self injury and various other things.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own very many characters throughout this story, Mitsuki Hiroko and Mitsuki Masahiro included.

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**Uchiha-Mitsuki Trilogy: Bloodlines**

**Prologue**

* * *

The bloodshed was beautiful; the red that stained everything around him was just too breath-taking for words. It was over, finally, and he felt near bliss in the aftermath of the slayings. He wished there were more of them; more to kill. He hadn't gotten enough, he doubted that he ever would as he looked around at the bodies of his clan members. They had deserved it, was what he had convinced himself of. They were attempting to make moves against him and he had only protected himself. So in his mind this was simply cleansing his village of the irritating vermin that he had forced himself to call _family_ for the past sixteen years.

Finally, a small grin slipped onto his blood-stained lips as he spun around. He knew he could have finished with them all much quicker and easier than he had, but he had wanted to see the blood; he had wanted to feel the entirety of their life slip from them so easily and by his own hand. He had enjoyed the way he had watched the light slowly fade from each and every pair of eyes, save for one.

Yes, he knew he had forgotten her; he was even more aware of it as he passed by the place she was hiding, acting as if he hadn't noticed her cowering presence from the very beginning of his crazed massacre. He knew she wouldn't dare do anything against him since she knew her place well and had just seen what he would, quite happily, do to any of his family. Just because she happened to be his elder sister meant nothing; her life meant absolutely nothing to him, just like all the others had meant.

For the last time, he glanced back at the bodies that littered the streets before he shook his head in slight disappointment and went on his way.

**Two years later**

Her eyes were trained on him still, just as they had been for the past few hours, as she watched him follow the same boys continuously. She didn't exactly know what he had in mind just yet but she knew that she would figure it out. It was only the least that she could do to avenge her family... Her eyes closed for a moment as she thought about the massacre she had witnessed years before, but soon she was shaking it from her head and looking back out at the street, to only see the two dark-haired boys walking alone. Her eyes searched desperately for any sight of her brother on the street, but she saw not even a glimpse of his blonde hair.

"Did you never learn, Masahiro, that it is rude to spy on others?" she heard his mocking voice directly behind her, whispering into her ear. Her heart beat painfully in fear as she jumped but didn't dare turn around. "Mitsuki-sama!" part of her felt the need to apologize from habit but she knew that she wouldn't; not to this person. "Why don't you go home," he suggested in a sarcastic manner, "there's nothing you can do for them even if you wanted to." Masahiro bit her lip and looked down at the ground, thinking that this might be her one chance to do something about him now. If only she could get herself to move then she could save whoever he had chosen as his new victim.

She didn't even get the chance to twitch a muscle, "Now, now, Masahiro, you know the rules. No fighting," it almost sounded as if he were laughing at her, "You wouldn't want to end up like father now, right?" She ignored his words and turned around with a kunai in her hand, ready to strike him, but her blade only hit the air behind her. Masahiro sighed shakily and dropped her weapon, trying not to think of the mutilated body of her father nor the way she knew her brother had been grinning so smugly behind her.

Once she collected herself, Masahiro looked up and saw, far off in the distance now, the two boys that her brother had been following. He had been right, she knew that well, there was nothing that she could do for the two of them. She began to walk away from the spot she had been glued to for the past hour, waiting on them all to come out of the shop, and prayed silently for the two that her brother had seemed so interested in. It was, in truth, the only thing that she could do, and for that she was sorry.

**TBC...**

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A/N: And like I said, I know it's short. The first chapter will be up incredibly soon, so look forward to it, and review if you could be so kind. :) Thank you for reading.

SandXDemonX13

TTYFTDS


	2. To Slumber in Longing

I'd really just like to say that this chapter was inspired by the death of one of my friends. She will be dearly missed and I hope that she is doing alright now. So please, everyone enjoy the chapter, and know that they will be getting longer from here on.

Rating: M

Pairings: Itachi/Sasuke, Tatsu/Fugaku, Hiroko/Sasuke (main pairings)

Warnings: They're in the prologue, so if you don't like something then just know you've already been warned and I don't care if you complain, though it won't be appreciated.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I do however own Mitsuki Hiroko, Mitsuki Masahiro, Kenichi and Natsuki, as well as many others who will pop up during this story.

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**Uchiha-Mitsuki Trilogy: Bloodlines**

**Chapter one: To Slumber in Longing**

* * *

Light sobs left his mouth as he looked around desperately, attempting to place surroundings that he could not see because of the blindfold over his eyes. It seemed that none of his sense were going to be of any help to him. He couldn't smell anything nor could he feel anything other than the ropes that were cutting into his flesh. And the only taste that he had in his mouth was the disgusting tinge of the bile he wanted to push back down into his stomach. Suddenly, his ears perked up as he heard a sound behind him. It almost sounded like movement. He realized quickly that it _was_ movement because he then felt fingertips against his own before he heard the distressed voice of his younger brother. "W-where am I...?" he attempted to reach out and give his brother a light caress so that he would know that he wasn't alone. "Who's that?"

"Shh, it's me," he did hope that his brother would be able to recognize his voice even in his highly stressed state. It seemed, thankfully, that the young boy did recognize him as he felt the smaller fingers reach out for his, causing their skin to brush for a few moments. "Nii-chan...?" the small twelve-year-old almost cried when he realized that it indeed was his brother behind him. "...What's going on nii-chan? Where are we?" He didn't know how to answer his brother just yet and so reached out behind him again, feeling Natsuki's fingers again and feeling comforted by that alone. "I don't know yet, Natsuki, but I promise I'll get us out of here." Natsuki's fear was eased slightly by his brother's promise and he smiled just lightly. "Th—" Natsuki's words were suddenly cut short as he let out a groan, making his brother look around frantically in his blind state. "Natsuki? ...Natsuki? ...Natsuki, talk to me!" Nothing but silence.

At least there was silence for a moment. The light sound of footsteps came to his attention immediately and he whipped his head in the direction of where he had heard the sound. "Who's there? What did you do to my brother!" his anger was clear to anyone in the vicinity but he was sure that it didn't matter to the person who had abducted them. "I find it inappropriate to yell at someone in front of you. My hearing is quite well, thank you." There was a playful, almost mocking tone in the voice in front of him and he sneered, wishing his arms were free so that he could punch whoever it was that had harmed his brother. "Who the hell are you?" he was patted lightly on the head before he heard the sound of a chair being placed in front of his own.

"It doesn't work like that, didn't you know? First, you introduce yourself," he glared behind his blindfold but obliged to the maniac that had placed a hand on his knee. "Kenichi," he spoke his name in a monotone and completely missed the small smirk that appeared on the man's lips. "Well Kenichi, you can call me Hiro, and let me tell you that you have quite a nice-looking brother. Natsuki, was it? Yes, he must turn quite a few heads, even at his age." Kenichi was disgusted by what he was hearing from the man who had captured them. "What do you want with us?" A small chuckle was emitted from the man called Hiro. "With you, not much, but with your brother on the other hand..." Hiro paused and let out another chuckle, "Well I wouldn't want to go spoiling what I have planned for him, so I'll keep my mouth shut." Kenichi could tell the man was smiling smugly just by the tone of his voice and it made him feel more sick than he already did. "You're sick, you bastard! If you touch my brother again I swear—"

"You'll what? Kill me?" one short, bemused laugh escaped Hiro, "You won't have the chance to try, I'm sorry to say, but don't worry yourself; I'll make sure you're dead before touching little Natsuki. I wouldn't want to anger you anymore than it seems I have." For the first time since he had woken up, Kenichi felt fear settle deep within his body, keeping him from saying anything in response to Hiro, not that he really wanted to anyway. "Now," Hiro began, slowly moving his hand up Kenichi's body, letting it come to a stop over the teen's heart. "I'd like for you to answer a few question for me. Is that fine with you?" Kenichi was silent, not even considering for a moment answering anything else this man asked him.

Noticing the lack of response, Hiro moved forward slightly, quickly moving his hand up to the teenager's throat. "Or you can decline and I'll kill Natsuki." Kenichi's eyes narrowed beneath his blindfold, and finding that he didn't have much choice in the matter, he nodded. Seconds later he felt smiling lips against his cheek as Hiro's hand fell from his throat. "That's better," if he wasn't mistaken, Hiro sounded almost giddy from his simple answer.

"If you can give me all the answers I require then I will reward you. I will allow Natsuki to go without harming him in the least." Kenichi lowered his head, understanding just what that was going to mean for him, but he quickly nodded. As long as his brother could get away safely then he wouldn't mind sacrificing his life.

**XxXxXxXxX**

He was a liar. Anybody that he had been in contact with for any length of time in his life could tell you that, except of course for the fact that all of those same people happened to be dead, save one. So he supposed that it didn't exactly matter that he quite often stretched, bit and spit the truth into a garbage bin. But he did believe that he had at least been generous enough to wait until Kenichi was dead before he went over to Natsuki and began to unbind him from his chair. And not for a moment did he think about keeping his word to the dead teenager just beside him. After all, it wasn't like he had promised that he wouldn't harm Natsuki, and even if he had, Hiroko had an astounding track record in promise breaking. It was almost as astounding as his lying hobby. And at any rate, why would he have kept his word when he had such a delicious looking boy in his mitts?

So just as soon as he had released the bindings on the preteen, Hiroko picked Natsuki up and walked him up the stairs and to his bed. There was a wicked grin on his face as he lay the boy down and noticed him begin to stir from his unconscious state. He could already tell that he would have a great deal of fun with this boy and it only encouraged his actions further. He already had most of his work cut out for him, as he had already stripped the boy of the majority of his clothing when he had brought both he and Kenichi to his home just the other day. So now the only thing he had to concentrate on for a few moments was binding the boy to his bed, because no matter how fun it would've been with Natsuki free, Hiroko wasn't exactly in the mood for a fight to be put up...at least not that much of one.

Hiroko worked quickly as Natsuki began to wake slowly, leaving the bed momentarily to go and retrieve two sets of handcuffs that he had decided long ago he would need for other such occasions that had arisen of this likeness. Just as Natsuki opened his dark brown eyes, Hiroko was attaching the second handcuff to the bed, having just quickly and very successfully restrained his new play toy. "Your brother," he whispered into Natsuki's ear the moment he was sure the boy would be able to understand his words completely, "was quite generous with the giving of information just to allow you to live." Hiroko reveled in the tremors that shook the half naked body beneath his own in fear. "Of course, I would never willingly let you leave without having some sort of thanks in response of the action."

Had it not been for the blindfold that was suddenly placed back on Natsuki's eyes, he would have seen the very predatory look in Hiroko's own brown eyes just before the man planted a kiss on his prisoner's lips. Natsuki immediately pulled himself away from the contact, throwing his head to the side and letting out a scream which he hoped would alert someone in the area. The lack of involvement and the scream that ripped through the boy's throat didn't discourage Hiroko in the least, the only thing that really changed was that he began to kiss Natsuki's now exposed neck. Half of him was believing that he was in a world where the boy wasn't attempting to get help, the other half relishing the screams that slowly begun to die down as Natsuki's throat began to feel the effect of all his yelling.

Just when the dark-haired boy quieted himself for what Hiroko was sure wouldn't be too terribly long, he ceased the unwanted ministrations and lifted his lips back up to the preteen's ear. "If you'd like to have a fate unlike the one your brother is currently suffering from, I would suggest that you shut your mouth and enjoy this as much as you can force yourself to. No one will come to help you and I would almost dislike disposing of someone like you." Certainly, the sudden news of Kenichi's death was what brought about the shocked state of the boy, and almost indefinitely it was also what caused him to nod shakily, almost as if he was unsure of himself. And of course, if Hiroko had felt emotions like any other normal person, he might've questioned his actions when he saw the tears seeping from the dark blindfold. But as it was, he was a sadistic ass and didn't much care about just what Natsuki was going through as long as the boy complied with him.

For the most part as Hiroko began to kiss his exposed flesh, Natsuki's thoughts were trained on his family, and how badly he wished to be with them at the moment, almost as badly as he wished that his brother were still alive. Hiroko though was only consumed with thoughts of the boy he wished he could capture while he lavished the boy beneath him with misplaced affection that neither really enjoyed at all. Kisses were exchanged without either male even noticing it. One was simply engrossed with his thoughts of what he would do if he ever managed to escape the man dominating him with his life, and the other was simply stuck in a world of fantasy that was quickly angering him beyond words.

With a suddenness that was able to snap Natsuki away from his thoughts, Hiroko broke their kiss and quickly moved his lips to the boy's neck, anger overflowing in his being. It took only seconds before he decided to take his anger out on the person nearest him, and he bit harshly into Natsuki's neck, almost instantaneously tasting the preteen's blood flood his mouth as Natsuki bit back the scream that wanted so badly to leave him. With lack of anything better to do with his time, Hiroko greedily drank the blood that was offered to him by the wound he had created. He no longer had a desire to touch the boy beneath him as he was now too taken with his fantasy of another.

Hiroko drew away from Natsuki angrily but didn't harm the boy again as he touched his cheek gently, removing his blindfold after a moment. He wanted more than anything to witness completely what he was about to do. Dark brown eyes stared into a lighter shade with pain and fear instilled deep within the gaze, but Hiroko didn't care about either as he spoke quietly and almost remorsefully, fooling himself nearly. "I would appreciate it if you accept my apologies," he began in a polite manner, which wasn't exactly like him. Natsuki looked confused but didn't speak. "I regret that I will not be able to keep my word to your brother." Another lie but he could no longer tell the difference. To him, to lie was to tell the truth, his own twisted version of a truth that he had always believed.

Natsuki opened his mouth to say something to the man who had stopped so suddenly what Natsuki had believed was going to end up as sodomy. Before Natsuki's words had even formed into one coherent thought, he yanked his hands forward but got them nowhere as they only caused the bed to rock slightly when he pulled the headrest forward. Hiroko stared straight into the boy's eyes as they took on a sudden panic. Natsuki struggled to gasp and then attempted to cough, but it was no use as only water made its way out of his mouth, and Hiroko only continued to watch with an almost clinical gaze as he drowned the boy where he lay.

Trembling blue tinted lips opened and shut just a few more times in a fruitless attempt to gather air in his lungs as the water tightened its hold. It took only moments more for Natsuki's struggle to end and even still Hiroko didn't look away. It wasn't until the light completely left the boy's eyes that he finally pulled his gaze away from the boy who reminded him so much of the one he was after, but was still so far away from being the one.

Slowly, Hiroko got himself up off of the bed after making sure to unbind his dead prisoner. Now he would have to do something with them, wouldn't he? He sighed before moving Natsuki over to one side of the bed as he decided that now wasn't the time to worry about it. In the morning he would be able to deal with the situation better; he needed time for his anger to dissipate and he was almost certain that some sleep would help with that. And so, without any hesitation, Hiroko lay down next to the corpse in his bed, turned on his side and looked at the once emotion-filled boy before closing his eyes.

**XxXxXxXxX**

A good ways across the village from where two murders had just taken place, and through one single crack, his eyes could see so much of the beauty that lay on the bed on the opposite side of the room. He felt that he was a little twisted for this continued behavior; he had promised himself long ago that it would stop after the first two or three times, but now it was an almost nightly routine. He would come out for hours after the rest of his family had fallen asleep and just watch his brother from the hallway, only once his eyes were satisfied with watching did he ever go to his own room and fall asleep. And so, inwardly, Itachi jumped the moment he saw his brother move in his bed to shift positions. His heart had stopped beating for a moment as he had believed that his silly little obsession had just been found out. But thankfully, it seemed that Sasuke was nowhere near waking up. Itachi stood idle for a few seconds longer before moving backward to slide down against the wall, still in such a position from where he sat so he could still watch his brother as he slumbered peacefully.

Itachi noted to himself that he felt safer on this night than he had just a few before, the day when his father had walked by their hallway to find Itachi stalking his brother from the doorway. He hadn't noticed the man for even a millisecond until he heard the whisper near his ear, "I assume you do understand that he is only twelve." He had looked at Fugaku, startled, having had his heart just jump out of his chest, nearly in a literal state. Itachi could only bring himself to look at his father as if he didn't know just exactly what the man was implying with his words. "I have seen the way you look at him when you believe no one is watching, so do not think me a fool, Itachi." Those words alone, spoken so quietly, had had such a strong effect, as they had made Itachi feel as if he were doing something terrible, though he had hurt not a soul with his actions.

"And though while I feel like I am required to say that I am disappointed in your behavior, I cannot." The sheer amount of shock he felt while hearing the words leave his father's lips had quickly eclipsed how scared he had felt when the man has arrived next to him. And while part of him almost felt lucky that Fugaku wasn't disowning him for his, apparently, blatant feelings for his brother the other part was concerned with the almost complete lack of reaction on the man's part. Itachi would have assumed that if his father had ever found out about his little obsession then he would quickly be thrown from the house without a second thought. But as the days had passed without a word further of what had been witnessed, Itachi had begun to relax slowly, and now was finally the day when he truly felt okay enough to come back out to resume his hobby...if you could call it such.

Finally, he focused again on the boy in the bed but raised an eyebrow slowly when he saw the covers pulled back and the bed empty. For a moment, panic laced his being as he began to think that Sasuke had discovered him. "Itachi?" the soft, sleep-laced, inquisitive voice that sounded beside him made Itachi outwardly jump, and nearly out of his skin. When had Sasuke had the time to sneak up beside him like that? Had he really been so engrossed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard the young twelve-year-old?

Hiding his shock quite well, Itachi looked over at his brother and offered him a small smile, one which Sasuke returned despite his tired state of being and overall near lack of understanding because of his sleep boggled mind. "Why are you up, Sasuke?" Sasuke looked at him for a moment, almost as if asking silently if he were actually up or not. But after a few moments Sasuke smiled slightly as he remembered why he had come out here. "I was going to the bathroom and saw you before I laid back down. I was worried," even though Sasuke's voice was laced thickly with sleep, Itachi could make out his words perfectly, which might have surprised someone. "You shouldn't worry about me, Sasuke." Itachi tried to sound like he didn't appreciate that his brother was worrying about him. Sasuke didn't seem to notice as he only nodded slowly, feeling that he could fall asleep where he stood.

"Did you have a bad dream? Is that why you're out here?" Sasuke paused and then gave a half smirk, "Did you need to come sleep with me?" It almost made Itachi chuckle to hear that. It was always Sasuke that came to him in the middle of the night, not the other way around. With a shake of his head in amusement, Itachi smiled before he shifted, "I suppose you could say that." Sasuke gave a tired smile before he began to walk off into his room, raising a hand in a lazy gesture to Itachi so the teenager would know he was welcome to follow if he so wanted.

Itachi wasn't the type of person to decline that sort of offer, and so stood up only seconds later and followed Sasuke into his room and then into his bed. Sasuke's bed was notably smaller than his own, something he should have noticed a long time ago but never had. Yet this only meant that they would have to lay closer together, and Itachi didn't mind that at all. And it seemed that Sasuke didn't either, as he cuddled right up to his brother as soon as Itachi was comfortable. With a smile, Itachi wrapped his arms around the preteen and whispered into his ear, "Thank you for this, Sasuke."

Though Sasuke told his brother he was welcome before falling right back into his slumber, he would never quite understand just why Itachi had said something so odd. Well...at least not until he was much older and repeated the words right back to the man. He would also never understand just how important this one night would be to him, as it was one of the last he would spend sleeping fearlessly.

**TBC...**

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A/N: So there it is. I might not update for a couple weeks, and I'm sorry that this took so long to get out. I'll be leaving for Florida in the next few days and will probably have very little time to write during the day, but I'll try to make time. I do hope you have enjoyed this and don't think that I'm super weird for writing it. :) Thank you. (R.I.P. Alex)

SandXDemonX13

TTYFTDS


	3. Emotional Attachment

Wow, I didn't expect to get this written and out so quickly. But while on the way to Florida (which is where I am right now) I wrote this chapter. I finished it in Arkansas and thought about posting it in Atlanta last night, but decided to wait until today. And just so you know now, the Ita/Sasu is kinda slow building, but it just makes it all the better. Please review. Thanks.

Rating: M

Pairings: Itachi/Sasuke (slow building), Tatsu/Fugaku (will come in after chapter 8 or so), Hiroko/Sasuke (though one-sided). These are the main pairings.

Warnings: They're in the prologue. If you don't like what you read then kindly send me a nicely worded review or PM and I will explain that you should have read my warnings, in the PROLOGUE!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do, however, own Mitsuki Hiroko, Mitsuki Masahiro, Shimizu Natsuki, Shimizu Kenichi, Shimizu Junichi and Shimizu Midori, as well as a few other OC's that will appear over time.

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**Uchiha-Mitsuki Trilogy: Bloodlines**

**Chapter two: Emotional Attachment**

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As much as he hated not being able to sleep in, he found that this morning in particular he didn't have much choice but to get his ass up and lug around the bodies he had left in his home. So he felt relatively safe in the darkness that the predawn offered him, and if he could feel such a thing as surprise then he would have been very much in such a state as he saw just how empty the streets of the village were at this time. Hiroko had expected, and had been ready for, the streets to be crowded, and if not crowded then he had thought that he'd run into at least one person while en route. But the absence of people didn't bother him at all, if anything it only made his voyage even easier, and he quite soon found himself in front of a house he had only visited once before, and only then to look into a window.

Most would think it unbelievable, but Hiroko did actually have polite and considerate bones in his body, and so knocked on the door once he stood in front of it. While normally he wouldn't think twice about rudely waking a family up in the early hours of the morning, Hiroko believed that his presence might be taken more kindly if he didn't break into their home without warning. So Hiroko found himself waiting for someone to come to the door, and found his patience waning quickly; he never had been a very patient individual. But before he could find the want to just break the door in, he heard a voice behind the door, "I'll be there in just a moment," it sounded like the person speaking was across the room. Hiroko also noted, but just subconsciously, that the man he had heard didn't sound irritated with the early morning call. In fact, the man almost sounded cheerful.

Well...that was about to change; Hiroko would make sure.

About a minute later, when the door finally opened, Hiroko almost grimaced when he saw the smile on the silver-haired man's face. The man looked at the stranger in front of him for a few seconds, wondering just what he was carrying around with him when he noticed the two heavy looking bags Hiroko had set on the ground. "Can I help you?" he asked politely, letting his smile fall just slightly as his curiosity began to crawl further up his throat. Hiroko nodded briefly before he spoke in a quiet voice, "Do you know Kenichi and Natsuki?" Now the smile fell completely from his features as he heard the names of the sons he had been looking around the village for for days. He nodded hesitantly, "Yes, I'm their father... Have you seen them?"

Hiroko was silent for a moment before he nodded and then gestured to the body bags on the ground. "These are for you then. Please refrain from opening them until both you and your wife are present. I'll be sure to return later if you have any questions for me." With that said, Hiroko turned and walked away, leaving the man to stare after him in bewilderment before he slowly lugged in the bodies of his sons so that he could wait for his wife to wake.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Sasuke loved getting up early in the morning, contrary to Hiroko, and this morning was no exception, but yet he was still in bed. The only reason being, Itachi was still asleep, and Sasuke wanted to spend as much time in his brother's presence as possible. And that wasn't too much of a problem today, since he had the day off and didn't have to worry about meeting up with any of his friends, thankfully. Sasuke's eyes closed in irritation as he thought about the blonde lunatic that he believed he would end up seeing today even if he didn't want to. Uzumaki Naruto always had a way of getting under his skin in one of the best sort of ways though, and so if the boy did come over to see him then he doubted he would get too angry, though he would put on a good show of acting like he was. But for now, he was just content in his brother's arms.

He was so content as a matter of fact, that he really didn't notice the yelling that was slowly getting louder and louder, as if it were nearing his room. He didn't notice anything until Itachi's hand moved to tap him on the head, making him look at his brother behind him, who only pointed, with his eyes closed, to where Sasuke now realized Naruto was standing. _Of course...he can't go a day without annoying the hell out of me._ The most Sasuke did when he noticed Naruto was sigh and return to his original position. "What do you want, Naruto?" he sounded so unenthusiastic that he could swear he felt Itachi smirk behind him out of amusement.

Naruto, not completely realizing that his presence wasn't wanted, walked around the room so that he could get a good look at his friend. "Sasuke, have you heard?" Cold, onyx eyes opened in a bored fashion to stare at the blonde like he was an idiot. How could Naruto just ask such a question without giving him any information? Was he really that much of a moron? "Heard what?" Naruto immediately moved closer and kneeled down on the floor in front of Sasuke, looking at him with an odd emotion in his eyes. It was near panic but also almost depression. "Natsuki-kun...and his brother..." Now Itachi's eyes opened; he knew of Shimizu Natsuki and most definitely of his brother, Kenichi, as they had been teammates on a few different missions. "Something happened to Kenichi?" Blue eyes glanced quickly at Itachi before he nodded, "Both of them have been missing for a few days now. The last place anyone saw them was a shop near the Academy. Even their parents haven't seen them since then."

Silence enveloped the three of them the moment Naruto stopped speaking. Itachi and Sasuke couldn't believe what they had heard; why would the boys leave without telling anyone? ...Unless... "Does anyone have any idea what's happened to them?" Itachi was quick to ask, feeling more concerned about the teenager he had been acquainted with for some time now. Once the question was asked Sasuke noticed the depressed look in Naruto's eyes become more apparent, "Everyone believes they've been kidnapped...but they don't know for sure since there has been no news from any kidnapper." Naruto looked down at the floor after he spoke, making Sasuke think there was something he wasn't telling them. "...Naruto...?" his voice was soft and almost near caring as he wiggled his hand out from under his covers and touched the blonde on the shoulder. The second their bodies came in contact with one another it was like Sasuke had read his mind with some unknown psychic powers. "...They're dead...?" Naruto shrugged, "That's the only thing that seems to make sense..."

Itachi sat up, taking the news in for a few moments. Sasuke looked at his brother as he turned over onto his back. "There's no proof though, right?" Naruto nodded solemnly. "Then that doesn't mean they're dead..." Itachi looked at the raven-haired boy disapprovingly; Sasuke knew better than to say something like that, especially since Itachi was quite sure that Kenichi wasn't the type of person to just take off for days without warning, particularly not with his brother. Sasuke only gave his brothers' look a quick glance before ignoring it. "Maybe they'll show up soon, Naruto." Naruto didn't seem to gain any hope, but he nodded just before his eyes widened and he gasped as he jumped up and headed towards Sasuke's door. "I just remembered I told Shimizu-san that I'd come over today and help him look for Natsuki-kun and Kenichi-kun. Sorry to bother you two; have a nice day!" Naruto was gone just as quickly as he had arrived, leaving Itachi and Sasuke alone once again.

They sat in silence together for a good few minutes, neither male looking at the other, though Itachi desperately wanted to lay back down for just a little while longer. He didn't want to leave his brother's side just yet. "So are you feeling any better?" Sasuke sudden question confused Itachi and he looked at the boy in a questioning manner, wondering just what he was talking about. Sasuke smiled lightly, pushing away the horrible feeling in his gut, "Your dream isn't bothering you anymore, is it?" Oh, so that's what he was talking about... Itachi shook his head and caused Sasuke to sigh in a semi-happy manner; he was happy with himself because he had made his brother feel better. He had finally begun to repay Itachi back for all the times he had comforted him. "That's good," he said quietly. Itachi nodded and sighed inwardly, knowing that it was about time he left before he did something that he shouldn't.

As soon as Itachi moved to get out of Sasuke's bed, he felt a hand on his and it made him look back at the boy he had spent the night with. He began to get concerned when he saw the near distraught look on Sasuke's face but didn't say a word, waiting for Sasuke to either say something or let him go. After just a few moments, Sasuke spoke, "Will you...stay with me for a little longer...?" A smile small made its way onto Itachi's lips as he nodded slowly and rearranged himself to lay next to Sasuke again. Comfortable silence settled over them once Sasuke cuddled back against his brother to soak up his warmth, and finally the curiosity that had begun to nag at him the night before came back. "...Itachi..." he heard a hum from the teenager which told him to keep talking. "...What was your nightmare about?" Sasuke thought it was only right to ask the question, as his brother had always done the same for him to ease his fears.

Itachi nearly shook his head, but settled for just smiling softly and kissing his brother's head. "It isn't important, Sasuke, don't worry about it." Internally, Sasuke frowned at his brother's answer; he had wanted to tell Itachi that everything would be okay and that it was only a dream. He wanted to be able to do all the things that Itachi always did for him. Right when Sasuke opened his mouth to speak both boys heard their mother yell for Itachi.

He stayed still with his brother for a few more moments before sighing and again kissing his brother's head. "Thank you again, Sasuke, I appreciate you easing my fears." Sasuke nodded slightly as Itachi got up and made to leave the room, "Itachi..." he said quietly just before his brother left the room. "What is it, Sasuke?" the preteen sat up and smiled at his brother slightly when he turned around, already getting himself ready for rejection. "Can...we spend the day together?" When no sort of answer came from Itachi, not even a twitch of a finger, Sasuke shook his head and opened his mouth to apologize and take his words back. "I would like that very much, Sasuke." Surprise and excitement lit up Sasuke's face and Itachi felt his heart nearly melt as he walked away, smiling in an amused manner as he heard Sasuke jump up and begin rushing around his room to get ready to spend the day with him.

**XxXxXxXxX**

The horror that was painted clearly on his normally cheerful face didn't convey even half of the terror and revulsion that he felt as he peeled the bag further away from his son's dead body. He was extremely happy that his wife had decided to go out while he had been in the shower and before he had gotten the chance to tell her about the odd encounter with the mysterious blonde man. His blue eyes closed in sadness as he was sure that the unopened bag held the body of his elder son, but then his eyes opened with purpose set deep within them. He had to get rid of the the bodies before his wife saw them, for he knew that she would go into hysterics immediately and probably attempt to kill whoever it was that had murdered her babies. _Okay...get ahold of yourself, Junichi... You can do this..._ though he told himself that he knew that this was going to be harder that he hoped.

Junichi shifted slightly to begin moving the bodies of his children, but just as he moved and grabbed the bag Natsuki had been stuffed into he heard a knock on the door and tensed, hoping that whoever it was would just go away. "Shimizu-san, I must insist that you open your door," Junichi's eyes widened when he heard the same voice from just a few hours before. The man had actually come back? Junichi just had to wonder if this same man was the one who had done this to his boys. Slowly, he stood himself up and swayed a tiny bit when he looked down by accident and saw Natsuki's face looking back at him, so lifeless with a blue hue. It killed him inside to see it but he closed his eyes for a long moment before turning toward the door and taking a few tentative steps.

Once he reached the door he felt very sick as he couldn't get his son's face out of his mind, but opened the door quietly, looking upon the blonde man that had brought him such a disgusting gift. The first thing Hiroko said as he invited himself in, pushing past Junichi, was, "where is the blonde boy?" For a moment Junichi was confused but then he quickly remembered that Naruto had visited him just a while before. "Naruto? He went with Midori to the store... Why?" Hiroko didn't answer as he walked to where he saw the bodies laying on the floor. Once he stood over the black bags he looked down and a curious look came across his face as he gazed at Natsuki, glancing for a moment at the bite marks he had left in the boy's neck. "I'm Hiroko, by the way," he introduced himself quietly, not really deeming it completely necessary but figuring it was the right thing to do. As if he actually felt a sense of right and wrong though.

Junichi nodded slowly as he finally shut his door, keeping his curious gaze trained on the intruder in his home, as he didn't know whether or not to trust Hiroko, though his gut was telling him not to. "You didn't wait for Midori?" the silver-haired man almost took a step back when he heard the younger male in front of him say his wife's name in such an informal way. "..." he was quiet for a few moments as Hiroko turned around and faced him, looking at him expectantly. "Now that I know what you brought me, I'm glad that she went off before I could tell her to wait. She doesn't need to see this..." _And neither do I_, was left unsaid as a smirk curled its way onto the man's lips while Junichi just watched him, his curiosity slowly turning into some sort of fear that he couldn't quite place at the moment. "But in fact, Junichi," again the twenty-nine-year-old was thrown off his game just slightly by the informal use of his own name this time. "She does need to see it; just like you did." Junichi noticed the sudden malicious tone in the younger's voice.

"...You..." he said quietly, finally coming to realize just who this man might be, "...You're the one..." his blue eyes found themselves resting on the body bags on the floor behind Hiroko. "You...killed them..." the smile that appeared in place of the smirk was all the answer that Junichi needed and he immediately launched himself at the blonde.

And stopped only a half step later with his eyes wide and his hands grasping his throat in desperation. Hiroko knew that Junichi was feeling the same exact sensation that both Kenichi and Natsuki felt as their lives slipped away from them slowly under his power, but he also knew that he couldn't kill the man before him and so dropped his hold over the man after a few more moments. An impassive gaze was directed at the man gasping in deep breaths on his hands and knees, coughs then followed as Junichi attempted to get the feeling of the water out of his lungs. "I've decided that I'll let your misconduct go unpunished."

Junichi's eyes slowly traveled up when he lifted his head to look at Hiroko and he glared at the blonde who almost stood over him with a smirk on his face. "Now, now, Junichi, don't get angry; you'll ruin the moment," his mocking joke wasn't appreciated as he quite easily stepped over the elder man's body and walked toward the door. "..." nothing left Junichi's mouth the first time he attempted to speak so he coughed once more and tried again, "...W-why are you...doing this?" his voice was hoarse but it didn't matter.

Hiroko turned back for a moment to look at the man who was attempting to get up, "Because, though I hate to admit it, I need your help." To be truthful, the words themselves shocked him into falling back to the floor after he had almost regained the ability to stand, but to think about who those words were coming from...well to put it in simple terms, his mind was blown almost to the point of mental retardation. "...?" his unspoken question gained him a grimace from Hiroko, something which Junichi easily figured he would see much more of in the near future, as he knew that Hiroko wasn't just going to leave this as his last visit. "Don't worry about it," he demanded, "I'll be back soon to explain. In the days that I'm absent make sure to show Midori and let her know I'll be back." With lack of choice in the matter, Junichi nodded, though not intending to do a single thing he was told.

As soon as the thought had completed in his head, Junichi grabbed for his throat again as Hiroko took a step toward him. "You will do as I say, Junichi; do you understand?" Junichi quickly nodded and felt the water ebb from his lungs once again, "Now say it," Hiroko demanded in a calm voice. Junichi stared impassively at the blonde man who now literally stood over him. "I will do as you say," he whispered quietly. Blue eyes widened in pain as he was suddenly kicked onto his side by way of his stomach. "Hiroko-sama." Junichi grit his teeth as he felt like ripping Hiroko's throat right out. Another wicked smile appeared on Hiroko's face as soon as Junichi thought about the pain he wanted to deal out to his new master.

"Say it!" Silence only wracked the room once Hiroko spit out his command. As the minutes passed by slowly, Junichi saw Hiroko ball his hands into fists for a single second before the blonde squatted down and grabbed his head, turning it sharply to the side so that he could now see the body bags again. "Say it or I will kill your wife just as slowly and as painfully as I killed your bastard sons." Staring at the bags that he knew held the limp bodies of his children caused his bottom lip to tremble and his eyes to close as he thought about the same fate befalling his wife.

"...I...I will..." he paused and Hiroko shoved him closer to the corpses on the floor not even four feet away, "I will do as you say, Hiroko-sama!" Junichi finally shouted, and the moment he did he was let go. The last thing he heard as Hiroko's footsteps faded towards the door was the promise that he would be back within the week, but Junichi didn't dare move a muscle for another hour as he laid on the floor of his home and cried.

**XxXxXxXxX**

There was no hint of fear in Sasuke's eyes as he rode on his brother's back like he used to when he was littler, and speaking of which, he was extremely surprised that Itachi could still support his weight like this. But the young preteen didn't think on it all too much as he just enjoyed the time he was spending with his brother in the big field that lay before them, just behind a park that Sasuke had often visited when he was younger. Sasuke was let down as soon as Itachi found a suitable place for them to sit and the twelve-year-old immediately latched onto his brother's arm once they sat. Itachi looked over at the boy and smirked before moving his free hand to pat Sasuke on the head. "Itachi, I'm really glad that we got to spend time together!"

Though Itachi smiled again, it was unseen by the man that was walking by fifty or so feet away; the most that the man heard as he walked by was a low mumble from the excited boy that was holding onto a raven-haired male that looked almost near his own age, if not a bit older, though he had no idea as he didn't real care as he continued to walk by. Yet instead of continuing on, he slowed and then came to a stop, directly behind the two, who he now believed were brothers or family of some sort, on the pavement. His head cocked to the side in mock confusion as his interest was piqued by a single word that was sure he very well could've imagined. But he still stood in his spot, waiting to see if that one word would be repeated so that he could see if he was going crazy with longing or not.

Then, to his pleasant surprise, it was repeated, and his heart skipped a beat with carnal desire, "Sasuke..." he heard not another word of the sentence that was spoken by the elder of the two as he was only interested in looking at the smaller of them. So this was Uchiha Sasuke? A wicked smirk passed over his lips briefly when he saw Sasuke turn his head to the side to give his brother a large smile. Lovely...

Hiroko's eyes glanced quickly over Itachi in actual curiosity. Was this the Uchiha Itachi that Kenichi had told him about? He could only assume it so for the moment as he began walking over to them without much hesitation; there was only one way for him to find out, and he most desperately wanted to know if this boy was the shining ray of light at the end of his tunnel of darkness. Hiroko almost chuckled at the thought; it almost made him sound normal—like he had emotions. Ah, what beautiful things his mind could make up sometimes.

Itachi turned around to look behind him when he heard the footsteps on the grass become louder in their direction. Before he could get a good look at the person behind them, the blonde was standing next to them, and then squatting down with a smile on his face...at least Itachi thought it was a he; really he couldn't be completely sure at the moment. "Hello," yes, now Itachi was sure; it was a he, "I'm Hiroko," he introduced as his smile got bigger and a little more friendly looking, though Itachi was sure he could see the strained look in the man's eyes...along with a look of...was that malice? Slowly, Itachi shook his head mentally; it couldn't have been. They didn't even know this man so there was no way that he could look at one of them...or more namely, him, in such a manner.

"I'm new to town," Hiroko went on, nearly disgusting himself with how much of an act he was having to put on. "I was just curious...are you two from the Uchiha clan?" he watched Sasuke smile and Itachi regarded him with a tentative look. "Why do you ask?" Hiroko pretended to look apologetic as he forced his gaze to stay away from Sasuke. "I had heard about the clan, I was just curious is all; I thought it would be almost fate if I ran into any Uchiha during my stay here." Not that it mattered now if he was answered or not; he had gotten close enough to figure it out for himself and that made him nearly smile truthfully, which he hadn't done in...well in all of his life really.

Slowly, Itachi nodded, though not giving any indication as to who exactly they were, as he didn't know this stranger—Hiroko—well enough to tell him anything like that. Hiroko nodded in response before he stood up and looked toward where he had come from, "Well thank you for allowing me the chance to talk to the two of you; I do hope you have a pleasant day." Those words had tasted horrible in his mouth and he grimaced as he walked away from the two Uchihas. He would most definitely have to brush his teeth when he returned home, and perhaps take a nice shower; he couldn't stand the feelings that he been forced to display and he wanted to wash them all away.

With a final look back at the two, though his gaze was trained on Sasuke, Hiroko smirked and thought about what he could no longer wait for. The plan was now in motion.

**TBC...**

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A/N: And there you go. I'm already working on chapter three, so it'll be out within the next few days I believe. And the first real Ita/Sasu scene will be in a couple more chapters. I think you all will like it. So in the mean time, review, as it will make me soooo happy and write quicker! :D Thank you.

SandXDemonX13

TTYFTDS


	4. To my readers

**TO ANY OF MY READERS WHO CAN READ TO THE END OF THIS… THERE WILL BE NEWS ABOUT STORIES…**

Okay, I know that I've been seriously lacking in any sort of updates, and I do apologize for that, my life has been terribly busy and so I've lost a lot of my motivation to write, but after getting a very hateful review today… I decided that I need to address this. The review I received is as follows (which you can see for yourself in the reviews for this story:

"_eww… gross!you incest freak!_

_i like yaoi but wtf! stop pairing up sasuke and itachi! they are BROTHERS for God sake!_

_are you lusting your brother too? yuck!_

_well i hope your brother or father or your grand father RAPE you ! yes! rape you! then you'll know how disgusting incest are…_

_i pray to GOD from my deepest heart to punish people who support this pairing and YOU who wrote this damnshit fic!_

_go to hell you patheticdirtyhornybitch!_

_I DESPISE PEOPLE LIKE YOU"_

Now, not only do I dislike this review, I dislike the grammar, because it is plainly clear that whomever it is cannot speak proper English or just doesn't try to. I am not angered by this review as I realize that not everyone will like what I write, and for every one review I receive like this there are another hundred positive ones that encourage me to write further. But it seems to me that this person, who reviewed anonymously as LOVEYAOI, read only my summary of the story and decided to take their hatred of incest out on me. And that is fine.

Here I will say quite clearly that I do indeed support incest, not because I have any sort of feelings for anyone in my family that are romantic, but because I understand that people in the world do have those feelings and I am in no position to judge another human being for who they love; because at that point I should be judging myself for being a lesbian. I write Uchihacest because I like it, because I see a deeper relationship between the Uchiha brothers and because it is what I'm comfortable writing.

I think LOVEYAOI took it a little far by saying that they hope my brother, father or grandfather rape me. Firstly, I am not lusting after my brother, he is a nice boy, and I try to do all I can for him. I've been a roll model to him his entire life and have not judged him a day of his, which makes him only look up to me further. But I can't stand him nor the rest of my family. Secondly, my grandfather is dead, so that would be a little more than impossible. And furthermore, I apologize to you, LOVEYAOI, if you were raped by a member of your family and so are taking out what happened to you on me, you should get some therapy for what happened to you if it indeed did. I have been through enough in my own life, so I don't need you wishing me such harm. A simple: "I don't like your story" would have sufficed, in fact, after seeing that it was Uchihacest (which it is clearly labeled as), you could have just went to another story.

You, LOVEYAOI, will in no way stop me from continuing this story or any of my other Uchihacest stories, if anything you've only motivated me to write further on them. And as to your comment about God, I do not believe in the God you speak of, and nor do I care that you believe in him. I believe in what I believe, my religion is Shinto, if anyone cares to know, but I do not believe in Christianity.

In conclusion, LOVEYAOI, being on this earth with people like yourself is punishment enough for people such as myself that like this pairing. So I would like to say, before you judge me, get to know me, I'm actually a rather friendly person, I'm just accepting of the people who feel the need to do themselves harm because of people like you who judge them for being true to themselves. A few years ago, this sort of review would have seriously damaged me and made me do something drastic, but now I am past the point of caring about what people like you have to say. So thank you for your review. And if there is ever a next time, please back up your seemingly desperate loathing with the courage to put your email so I can contact you personally. (This goes for everyone, especially if you want to be friends! :D)

Oh, but please, get some lessons in grammar, yours is astonishingly horrible.

**AND NOW, TO MY READERS/REVIEWERS…**

Hello all! I am sorry to make you sit through that, I just did not like that this person said such things to me with no real reason when they could have easily passed over my story. Anyways, an explanation for my hiatus: I have, quite honestly, lost all motivation to write, but I am trying my hardest to work on my stories. The next chapter of this one, in fact, was nearing completion before my mind went blank from the most horrible writer's block I've ever had. But I am hoping, in the coming days, to resume work on a few of my stories and start cranking out the updates so that I can say that I've done some work this year.

I do apologize sincerely to you all who have been waiting, it was wrong of me to delay for so long. If any of you want any information on any stories (if they will be updated soon, where I currently am in the process of writing them, ect…) then please contact me via PM or my email which you can find via the link on my profile. I will always answer every message and any questions that I can.

Thank you for your support and continued patience during my difficult time. I love you all.

SandXDemonX13

TTYFTDS


	5. Hearts Beat in the Farthest End

Hello all, it's been a long time. But I said I'd come back soon with an actual update and here I am! I had written up...most of this last year before I really accepted the death of my grandfather, and after I accepted it I went into a horrible slump (which I am still in), but with your kind reviews over my latest flamer, it made me finish this and push it out. So I can only thank all of you for renewing my interesting in this and all my other stories. I hope to update the rest of my stories at least once before the New Year, but if I don't then rest assured that next year will bring exciting things. :)

Rating: M

Pairings: Itachi/Sasuke; Tatsu/Fugaku; Hiroko/Sasuke (one-sided)

Warnings: What can I say? This is going to be a story filled with incest and many other things seen as taboo by the majority of society. I don't care. If you don't like what I write then don't read it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own "_The Farthest_" by Deluhi or "_Heart Beatz_" by The Sleeping. I do, however, own my OCs.

So let me say here that this was originally inspired by the song "_The Farthest_" by Deluhi, an amazing band. But is now inspired by not only that, but also "_Heart Beatz_" by The Sleeping (another amazing band) so if you're looking for mood music, there it is.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to: **Ninosama** (who reviewed anonymously),** -00-night-eyes-00-**, **Rosebunse**, **KiwiNiki**, **ItachiSasukeSama** and **Miko Vampire**. I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for sending me such uplifting messages, which made me finally fix and finish this chapter. Without you all and your encouragement, I'd probably still be sulking in a corner instead of doing what I should be: writing. So thank you all so much; you made this possible.

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**Uchiha-Mitsuki Trilogy: Bloodlines**

**Chapter three: Hearts Beat in the Farthest End**

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The sudden clicking from the lock on the door was what caused Junichi to start in his seat, jerking his head around to look at the piece of wood in a state of betrayal. His only line of defense was going to fall and let someone in against his wishes, but the only think Junichi could even think of was, who would end up walking into his newfound Hell? The majority of him believed that Hiroko would be the one walking back through that door, having come to finish him off. Which now, since he'd had ample time to think about the situation, didn't sound like such a bad idea.

His boys, the only people who had kept him going for this long, were gone… So why was he still living? What excuse could he possibly make for his continuous sapping of oxygen from the earth around him?

"Junichi-san!" the loud, cheerful voice that yelled out to him made his eyes narrow as he was taken from his reverie. The voice was familiar; the tone was sickening, just like it had always been, though he had only now become aware of it. But who was it? Why was it so hard to remember who that obnoxious voice belonged to?

"We're back; sorry it took so—" the blonde who had just crossed the threshold into Junichi's nightmare stopped, both mid-step and mid-sentence, when he looked upon the scene that lay before him.

For many seconds—so many seconds that stretched on for an eternity, Naruto couldn't exactly comprehend just what it was that he was seeing. Glass glinted at him from the floor, stained deep red from the copious amount of blood which coated their surroundings. Pictures were ripped from walls, walls which had been painted in red and beaten to a pulp. It looked, frankly, like a scene from a horror movie, a thought which was only imbedded deeper within the blonde as he took notice of the man whom sat in the middle of the chaos.

Junichi sat, looking calmer than he'd ever felt in his life, his face—his _body_ mutilated almost beyond recognition. But those eyes, those haunting blue-grey eyes, stared through Naruto, almost as if they were looking into his soul.

Managing to pull his gaze away from the man, Naruto quickly glanced down and looked at the path he was about to walk in order to get across the room. "Junichi-san…" he began slowly, lifting his foot and placing it in front of him. The crunch of the glass beneath the shoes he'd forgotten to take off caused Naruto to shiver; this action, however small, only made Junichi glare harshly at the blonde preteen that had entered his home.

"Okay… Junichi-san, I need you to listen to me, okay?" Naruto didn't actually know just why he was saying what he was, the words simply slipped from him as if they needed to be said. Junichi, though, made no move to answer Naruto, only stood up when the boy progressed across a few shards of neutral colored glass.

"I…I don't know what happened," he said carefully, pausing only to look down and make sure the path he was following was still relatively safe. "But you need to come over here…" Naruto held out his hand to the man, offering a way to safety. The sound of glass cutting into Junichi's bare feet as he back away from Naruto, and thus out of the small perimeter which had remained spotless, made the boy's skin crawl in disgust.

It took him only seconds to find his resolve and take the last few steps into that single spot which wasn't littered with sparkling glass or drying blood. And now, as he was in the actual vicinity, Naruto could see just why there was nothing around this one spot. Well, at least he could see the two black bags that still lay a foot or so away from him.

His heart began to pound loudly in his ears as he looked up at Junichi again, noticing that the man was farther away from him still. He kept his eyes on him though and took a deep breath, steeling himself to whatever might lie before him, as he walked over to the bags.

"Junichi-san…" Naruto stopped speaking of his own accord, finding that he was completely speechless after glancing down at the bags which now rested at his feet.

After that first glance, he repeated the action, though this time his gaze wavered for a moment as he attempted to understand just what it was he was looking at. It took only a moment. Shock settled deep in Naruto's core; he swallowed thickly as his mouth fell open, his body convulsing.

"N—" it was the only sound that left him of the name which he had intended to speak in despair.

"Naruto, I thought you'd left already," Midori's kind voice sounded from just behind him, a smile lacing her tone. Junichi's eyes moved quickly to his wife as Naruto tensed. He wanted to scream, to warn her as quickly as possible that she needed to leave—to run as far and as fast as she could. His body, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

"…Midori-chan…" his voice was soft, calm even as Midori took in the scene around her with a small gasp. "Junichi… What happened?" she asked, looking so utterly shocked and confused as she took in the state of him. Junichi didn't answer his wife, only stared at her as if she were some monster who had invaded his dreams and turned them into this nightmare.

"Midori-chan," Naruto said again, "You… You shouldn't be here…"

Without heeding Naruto's words, Midori walked toward her husband slowly, brushing the glass out of her path as she walked across the room. "Junichi, what have you done? Did something happen while I was out; is everything okay?" the questions were overwhelming, and her concern was lost on her husband. Junichi only stared back at her—stared right through her, a look of pure defeat in his eyes as all he could see was the dead bodies of his sons.

"Midori-chan, just stay back," Naruto attempted to demand, not wanting to subject her to what he had—what he _was_ witnessing. The brunette looked over at the preteen that had been out with her shopping, wondering just what he meant, but before she could open her mouth and ask she looked down, her gaze falling on whatever it was that Naruto was starting at. She started walking toward him instead.

There was nothing that could be done about what was next in the chain of events to happen. Naruto braced himself as Midori walked over, wishing that he could move his damned body and keep her back. The only thing he could do was stand there. Stand there, waiting. Waiting; watching; thinking. Thinking of how he wished that such a fate hadn't befallen his friends—his friends that lay so blatantly dead in front of him. Thinking that had he gone with them that day— the last day anyone had seen them alive, then maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe he would have been able to save them.

But fact was fact, and fact was lying before him, dead as dead could be. He couldn't change that, it was a reality made even more apparent when the mother of those boys in front of him came to a stop at his side, her eyes in the same exact place as his own.

Nothing was said between the three for a very long time as Midori looked down at the face of her youngest child, a kind of uncertainty on her face as if she thought she was hallucinating—being tricked into seeing what she had been afraid of for days. Naruto opened his mouth to apologize, but then thought better of it when he pulled his gaze away from the brothers on the floor, looking first to Midori and then to her husband. The look on Junichi's face had changed, his expression had softened and, Naruto noticed, he had moved the slightest bit closer to them.

So they stood, silence surrounding them for what seemed like forever, until a tear finally hit the bloodstained floor beneath them; that was when Naruto deemed it necessary to pull Midori into a comforting hug. "…I'm so sorry, Midori-chan…" he whispered against her arm.

"…Get out…" He raised his head and looked at her, wondering if he had really heard those words. She didn't move to look at him; didn't move to speak, just stood, tense in his embrace.

Against his better judgment, Naruto released the woman who had sobbed out the two words and turned to leave without a fight, taking one final look at the friend he would never hear laugh again.

Without another word, he left, walking through the path Midori had made and then out the door, finding the cool air of the late afternoon very welcome as the tears began to spill from his own eyes. He collapsed to his knees the moment he shut the door behind him, and hung his head in shame when he heard the piercing, heart wrenching scream that tore from Midori's throat the second he was gone.

**XxXxXxXxX**

It was so useless to reach out; reach out to grasp at the darkness with hope to shatter it—bring back his home. It was useless but his hand was in front of him, trying to find some end to the void in which he was encased—in which the countless number of screams echoed. His fingers stretched themselves almost to the point of dislocation, hoping to touch something, _anything_ that could give him some sort of hope that he could get out of this darkness. Still, there was nothing.

Nothing, at all.

_Nothing_.

That one word had never had such a deeper meaning than now. _Nothing_. Not a glimmer of light; not an ounce of hope; not a sliver of emotion. Just emptiness—an unforgiving, horrifyingly _ugly_, empty void.

Nothing. At all. Except noise—screams.

Oh, God, those _screams_.

They were everywhere; the only thing he had heard for such a long time that he almost couldn't remember anything but the grievous screams that had been lacerating his mind for ages. They were so sad; so lonely; so broken. So _useless_. Nobody would help any of them, no matter how much they pleaded or wished; longed or hoped. Nobody would come. Nobody would help. Nobody _cared_. But still the wails continued, wanting to be heard by someone other than the countless lost beings that sat waiting in the darkness—wanting to be quelled by anybody that would lend an ear.

The screams were what he hated most of all. The darkness was one thing, the hopelessness, the waiting—to be found, to be saved—it was easy enough to accept. But the noise…those screams were too much. They only brought with them the painful reminder that he couldn't remember where he was, how he—how any of them—had gotten here. That was all he wanted, just to know—just to hear silence for even a moment.

He wanted to forget that he was alone here, that he would most likely never be found by anyone or see the light of day again. To forget everything would probably be the best gift he could be given by anyone or anything, but first…these screams had to vanish—the darkness needed to abate. This silence needed… It needed…what?

Wait…

His eyes squinted against the darkness in vain. What had happened? Where had it gone? Those screams…that noise; why was it so...quiet?

It took a moment for it to sink in, but once it did a strangled sound broke the air as his attempt to hold back his sudden sob failed.

There was silence.

_Silence_, for Christ's sake! He hadn't heard just pure…_silence_ in so long.

Not since…

It was hard to think about. The man, Hiro, had played with him, prolonged his fate for, God, what had it been? Hours…? Days? He couldn't remember; he didn't want to remember. It hurt to even think about it, the only thing that had given him comfort then was the knowledge that his sacrifice would not be in vain.

"…Natsuki…" he let the name slip past his lips for the first time since he'd awoke in this darkness. It was the only thing that comforted him now, just knowing that his brother had not shared in his fate—had not had to suffer the same hellish torture that he had. That he had been able to return home to their parents, to his friends and be kept safe.

That was enough for him. He didn't regret his sacrifice, though he'd asked himself the question many times when he had first woke. Natsuki had always been the most important thing to him though, and to be able to sacrifice himself to keep the boy safe…did he dare say it was an honor?

He shook his head; it wouldn't do him any good to think about such things now. What was done was done. He wanted to relish this silence while he still had the chance to. So he sighed deeply and brought his knees to his chest, folding his arms atop them and resting his head forehead on his arm.

But as he sat there, in the same place he'd been sitting for who knows how long, the realization crept up on him. The silence… This wonderful silence he had wished for—_longed_ for, for as long as he could remember. He couldn't stand it. He loathed it more than the screams. At least those howls, which had been so desperate for acknowledgment, had kept him from thinking so deeply… And he had never realized until now, how much he did not want to know how he'd gotten here. He did not want to remember the way his throat had felt so constricted, the way his heart had clenched so painfully; the way his body had heated up in panic, the way his eyes had felt like they were going to come loose from their sockets.

He didn't want to think about the mocking laughter of the man who had tortured him. He didn't want to think about the deafening silence he had heard when it had finally ended… The silence so akin to this one that surrounded him now.

Anger shook him, anger which turned to sadness. A sob fell from his cold, broken lips. He wanted to scream, scream for every lost soul he'd come to know to stop this silence. He wanted to scream; he needed the noise—he needed to forget…

"…He said you were dead…"

Pain flooded his body at the sound of that voice. So sweet, innocent, beautiful… So familiar… So heartbreaking. That voice—he must have been imagining it. But the hand, the icy cold hand, which fell gently on his arm, was far too real for any kind of illusion.

He lifted his head, still finding darkness before him, but he could feel a presence as well—a presence that should _not_ have been there. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak the name, to ask if it were true, but no words came and the hand never left. His mind was flooded with far too many thoughts, but one repeated itself so strongly: his sacrifice had been in vain.

"…He said you were dead…" the voice repeated quietly, coming closer to him. The second hand fell next to the first before he felt a body leaning against his legs. He stared, dumbfounded and desperate for this to be a lie, but he knew… He _knew_, and damn it all, he was angry. Angry that he'd bought such a blatant lie from that psychopath; angry that he'd believed everything would be all right.

"…Natsuki," he whispered the name to himself, hoping to anything that would listen that the person before him would not be said boy. But he knew.

"…He said you were—"

"He lied. I'm okay; we're okay, Natsuki," he whispered to the boy, lowering his legs and allowing his brother to hug him close as he shook with the tears that just wouldn't fall any longer. He comforted the boy in his arms, rubbing his back and whispering nonsensical things into his ear.

"Nii-chan…" Natsuki spoke to him carefully against his collarbone, where no breath actually existed to warm his flesh. He could only stroke the boy's back again to encourage him to speak further.

"…Nii-chan, when will we see mom and dad again? I…I miss them."

Kenichi was silent, but only for a moment. He pulled Natsuki closer and said the only thing that came to mind, "Soon… I'm sure we'll see them soon." He could feel his brother smile against his neck at his response.

"You'll stay with me then, right, nii-chan?"

Kenichi close his eyes and let his head fall back, realizing vaguely that screams echoed in the distance. They were comforting, but not as comforting as the boy he held in his arms—the boy that he should never have gotten the chance to hold again.

"Always."

Because, really…what other choice did he have? He…_they_…were dead.

_Yes, dead..._ He was dead. His brother was dead.

_Dead._

**XxXxXxXxX**

_Dead._

That one thought was laced with so much. Utter defeat because the truth was now too apparent; complete misery because they hadn't deserved their fate; disaster because the world had lost two beautiful souls at the hands of a monster. But at the same time there was confusion and denial…because they couldn't be dead. There was no way that he could accept such a sick lie.

Except, somewhere, he already had accepted it. He had begun to believe it to be true even before the vast majority had known of their disappearance—before he had even seen the look in Naruto's eyes just a half hour ago. That look. _That_ look. It had been so disconsolate—Naruto had been so detached from, what seemed like, the entire world. And the part of him that had wondered why when they had met briefly on the street had found the answer within that look.

_They're dead._

It was all he had heard. It had run through his mind a million and one times in the second that they had held one another's gaze. The words had ripped at his heart with every echo until he felt mutilated inside, making him want to crumple to the ground in agony and cry. But the most that had happened was that the whole world—the entire universe, went silent; stopped existing completely.

Until Sasuke had opened his eyes to arrive into consciousness once again, but even then the spin of the earth beneath all of them seemed so much slower—the light seemed dimmer. Although he was sure that could have been contributed to the fact that night had fallen and a candle was all that lit his room. But it didn't matter, his point still stood: things didn't feel the same now that his friend was gone. _Dead_, his mind corrected helpfully, wanting him to come to terms with it all.

Yes, dead.

"They're dead…" the words—the voice didn't sound like his own. It was too calm, too understanding to have been his. But maybe, he thought, maybe he sounded so calm because he was coming to understand. Maybe he would be able to come to terms with their deaths. After all, people died every day—every minute. So why was this so important?—why were these two people able to throw every calmed nerve and suppressed emotion that he retained within him completely out of kilter?

_No…_ That voice was familiar, familiar but not his own. He shifted, sitting up just slightly, and looked around his darkened room with some effort. His eyes came to rest on a silhouette in his doorway; Sasuke sighed.

"Itachi…" his head tilted in response before he stepped into the room.

"I heard what happened, as I assume most of the village has by now."

Sasuke was silent, staring at his brother, trying to search out the dark onyx eyes—the eyes that could always comfort him with just the smallest of glances. He gave up his search once he quickly realized it was in vain, instead turning his attention away from the teen that was slowly approaching his bed.

He tried to open his mouth, to speak some sort of response to his brother, but his lips didn't even twitch and not a single thought came to mind. What was he supposed to say anyway? That it wasn't fair; that he shouldn't have lost his friend? What could he possibly think to say when his brother most likely knew every thought running through his head? It hadn't been just him that had lost a friend, he had to remind himself; Itachi had known Kenichi, had gone with him on missions and had even met with him on a few occasions when Natsuki had visited the compound.

Swallowing thickly, Sasuke turned his head when he felt his bed shift under his brother's added weight. He was being selfish, he realized that now; he hadn't thought of how Itachi must have been feeling throughout all of this, not even once. But he always seemed so…so…

"You can cry; I won't tell."

He shook his head angrily at his brother's words, but quickly brought his hands up to wipe at his eyes—at the tears that had been threatening to fall. That was exactly what he was talking about. Itachi just always seemed so…_together_, almost as if none of this fazed him in the least. But it couldn't possibly be like that, Sasuke knew. Deep inside, past that mask his brother only let down for him, Itachi was just as broken up about this as he was. So why did he pretend to be so strong?

"I understand you're trying to be strong, Sasuke…" he heard the whisper, felt the gentle hand that touched his arm and then his cheek. Only then did Sasuke become aware of his own shuddering breaths as he continued to hold back the tears he didn't want to acknowledge existed. He opened his mouth, intent on telling his brother that it was the least he could do for him—the least he could do for the one person who always shouldered his burdens. But no words came from his quivering lips.

"I understand, but you can lean on me. Let me be your strength, Sasuke."

The words broke him. Sasuke quickly clung to his brother, weeping silently against the teen's chest, accepting the comfort of his brother's embrace. He knew it was wrong of him, exploiting his brother like this when Itachi felt just as badly as he did, but the comfort his brother offered was just too tempting. It was always too tempting, but one day…

One day he would be the strength Itachi needed. Because one day…Itachi would break.

**TBC…**

* * *

A/N: And there you go. Been a long time coming, but I hope it was worth it. I've got the beginning of the next chapter written out, but I'm not sure when I'll be up to finishing it. So I'd love to hear your ideas on how this is; your reviews honestly do make me write, because it shows that I have people out there that care. Thank you all.

SandXDemonX13

TTYFTDS


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